Skip to main content

SCOUT

Special Collections Online at UT

Rugby (Tenn.) Colony Photograph

 Collection
Identifier: MS-2721

  • Staff Only

This collection consists of one 8x10 black-and-white photograph of members of the Rugby, Tennessee, Colony participating in a summer outing.

Dates

  • circa 1880s

Conditions Governing Access

Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Conditions Governing Use

The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet

Abstract

This collection consists of one 8x10 black-and-white photograph of members of the Rugby, Tennessee, Colony participating in a summer outing.

Biographical/Historical Note

The Rugby Colony was a utopian community founded by English author and social reformer Thomas Hughes in Morgan County, Tennessee. By the time Rugby was officially christened on October 5, 1880, the village had become home to approximately 100 colonists. The population expanded to nearly 300 residents by the following summer. A typhoid fever epidemic struck the colony the same year, killing seven and causing several others to leave in panic. By the end of 1881, only about 60 people remained. Gradually, the colony rebounded, with the population growing to about 450 in the next few years. Eventually, however, the colony's popularity waned as land sales lagged, legal problems occurred and the school that was to be the centerpiece of the colony never reached its potential. By the early 1890s, the colony could no longer support itself.

Arrangement

Collection consists of a single photograph.

Acquisition Note

Paul Bergeron donated this photograph to the Special Collections Library.

Repository Details

Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository

Contact:
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville TN 37996 USA
865-974-4480